Isaiah 35:4–7a

⁴Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” ⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; ⁶then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert, ⁷the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.”

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One of the first things we try to instruct our children is that there are natural consequences for certain actions we take. The Lord also warns us of the consequences of breaking His commandments.  Due to their rebelliousness, the Israelites were threatened by enemy nations who were more powerful.  The consequences of the people’s rebelliousness are revealed in the 34^th chapter likening the land of Israel to a desert wilderness, haunted by unclean creatures in that wilderness with the surrounding nations attacking without mercy (cf. 11-16).  Because of their sin, the Jews were exiled to Babylon and became slaves (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:21).  

Like the Israelites of old, when confronted with our own sin, we see how we have lived contrary to the Lord’s will.  We are also “haunted” by past sins which cause us to wake in the night and ponder them over and over.  No matter how hard we try, the “unclean things” of our lives cannot be dismissed or eliminated.  Our sins call out to us as a constant reminder of our lack of righteousness.  The modern world is filled with violence, self-indulgence, power seeking, and pleasure-seeking rather than the peace and forgiveness of Christ Jesus, and no number of man-made remedies will permanently erase the sin that haunts us. Drugs, alcohol, and entertainment are simply a coverup, a false hope providing no relief from the terrors of our conscience.  Just like a mirage in the desert leaving a traveler thirsty, there is nothing we ourselves can do to obtain righteousness that will fulfill our desperate need for holiness.

But there is hope for the hopeless.  God says, “Be strong; fear not!” (4).  He is not saying we should look to ourselves and our own abilities for our saving, rather He is calling us to Himself and to the rescue He brings with Him. God reaches out to rescue us out of the desert wilderness of sin through His Means of Grace.  God does what His Word promises, and He rescues us from the sins that haunt us and makes us one with Him.   Through ordinary earthly elements in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, along with His Word as it is written, preached, and shared, God delivers His gifts of forgiveness of sin, eternal life, and salvation.  

We began this message by talking about natural consequences. The natural consequences of your sin would land you smack dab in the middle of hell.  But out of His great love for you, God intervened with divine vengeance on sin to change what was coming your way.  Through His Son, Jesus, He has defeated your great enemy, Satan, and released you from the desert wilderness where the sins of body and soul continually haunt you.  God Himself has made all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ free to live with Him in joy and peace here in time and there in eternity!

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